Writers Helping Writers^®

Posts by Becca Puglisi

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship

July 22, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship

July 22, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

Plotting for Pantsters

July 20, 2017

Plotting for Pantsters

July 20, 2017

The subject of plotting vs. pantsing is one which, for reasons I don’t fully understand, generates a lot of heat in writing circles. I’ve seen discussions on the topic explode…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Reconciling with a Family Member

July 1, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Reconciling with a Family Member

July 1, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

Your 3-Step Plan for Outlining A Novel

June 29, 2017

Your 3-Step Plan for Outlining A Novel

June 29, 2017

There’s only one reason writers ever talk about outlining. It’s a tool that’s supposed to make our jobs easier. But it isn’t always clear how to accomplish that. Do you…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Avoiding Financial Ruin

June 17, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Avoiding Financial Ruin

June 17, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

How to Build a Realistic Story World

June 15, 2017

How to Build a Realistic Story World

June 15, 2017

As a fantasy writer, one of my absolute favorite parts of the writing process is worldbuilding. I love creating new worlds, cities, and people groups from scratch. I probably either…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Homelessness

June 3, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Homelessness

June 3, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

What American Horror Story Taught Me About Anti-Heroes

May 30, 2017

What American Horror Story Taught Me About Anti-Heroes

May 30, 2017

Every time I search Netflix, Hulu, or primetime TV for a new show to watch, I’m convinced that anti-heroes are taking over the world. Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, the Sopranos, Nurse…

Why You Should Never, Ever Go On a Destination Writing Retreat

May 25, 2017

Why You Should Never, Ever Go On a Destination Writing Retreat

May 25, 2017

You’ll hear from loads of people why you should travel and go on writing retreats. There are lists, like The Case for Writing and Travel, that say why travel is…

Three More Lesser Known Archetypes

May 23, 2017

Three More Lesser Known Archetypes

May 23, 2017

Back in January, Jonathan Vars was here to talk about some lesser-known archetypes and how utilizing them can bring a sense of freshness to our stories. Because of the positive feedback on that…